The Kent State Coverup

by Joseph Kelner, James Munves

On May 4, 1970, two platoons of Ohio National Guardsmen fired on a crowd of students at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. Neither the federal government nor the state of Ohio took any responsibility for the guardsmens actions. Through the account of the subsequent civil trial, we follow the events of that tragic day, as experienced by the victims and their families, and share their frustration as they try to discover the truth.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1980

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the chief counsel for the nine surviving Kent State victims and the families of the four dead students, this is one of the best books you can find on the Kent State murders. I re-read it every couple of years. I'm grateful that the book is no longer out of print. Its primary source text is the 1975 trial, and the copious extracts from the trial transcripts demonstrate better than anything else I've researched that the May 4, 1970, noon rally was over by the time Troop G of the National Guard kneeled and fired into the unarmed crowd (many of whom were walking away from the demonstration, or simply walking to class). The book's extensive focus on the civil trial itself documents the extent to which Judge Young excluded key evidence, especially photographic evidence, in what was, at this time, the most visually documented killing in U.S. history. "The trial was a sad day in American history," Kelner said to me in a 1985 interview. In hindsight, such a statement could seem like hyperbole; however, the evidence of the trial itself suggests Kelner is, sadly, accurate.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an account of the civil case brought against those ostensibly responsible for the murders and woundings of 13 students at Ohio's Kent State University in 1970, a jury trial that did not take place until five years later. Author Kelner, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, takes the story ahead to 1978/79 when cash settlements were finally concluded. Appendices log the various state and federal cases that followed the shootings.

I would only recommend this book to readers interested in (a) the student movement in the USA of the sixties and seventies or (b) detailed accounts of civil litigation. I was interested because I was part of that movement, remember Kent State clearly, knew someone who was there, and years later read the account of it by James Michener (yes, James Michener, the popular novelist).

[Ginger Jolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and sad!

The young people and their parents went through so much! This book was quite an eye opener of our justice system and the biases that people have. I'm convinced that no judge, no jury, can ever be totally without bias, no matter how much they claim they are. I knew of Dean Kahler when he lived in my community. This was years after the shootings, but he was a hard worker, even though he was confined to a wheelchair. All of those who were shot, killed, and their families did not receive nearly what they deserved!